On Resolutions....
Thursday, January 27, 2005-This article was previously posted on my site "The Life of Shaun Brian"-
“Most good resolutions start too late and end too soon.”
Andrew Glasow
It is January. Again it is time to make my resolutions for the New Year. I have done this every year for the past 15 years. The problem is I can’t remember one of the bloody things I’ve promised to improve, change, stop doing, start doing, which I have actually done. No, that’s a lie. Ten years ago I resolved to visit one new destination every year for the rest of my life. I did London, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Perth, Brazzaville, Israel, a small town in Germany, Amsterdam, Brisbane, Kinshasa, Mauritius and Rustenberg in the first nine. This year I managed none – unless you call the public toilet on Greenmarket Square a new destination – hey, I was desperate, not lonely.
So now that I realise that I have broken the one resolution I have managed to keep for any length of time, what about this years resolutions? If I am to believe the multitude of self-help gurus from the world of positive thinking, my resolutions must be clear, easily understood and measurable; if I believe the more esoteric of these gurus I must concentrate on larger, more spiritual issues, such as world peace and loving my fellow earth beings. If I mix the two I end up with something like:
“This year I resolve to channel 17,25% of my positive energy into attaining world peace in 76 of the worlds nations while spending 2 hours each day meditating on the 35 minutes of negative energy I distribute to my co-workers each day, thereby making the work place 7,25% more bearable for 12% of the company” – It would never work- my maths is crap.
I could go for the “soft issues approach” and adopt a daily resolution that I carve into my bedside table and read every morning, hoping that it improves my life in general. This one, penned by John Vincent, was suggested to me:
“ I will this day try to live a simple, sincere, and serene life; repelling every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and self seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising the economy in expenditure, carefulness and conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike trust in God”
I would, of course, also need to keep a bucket close at hand for the involuntary retching that will accompany me saying these words. If you want it, use it. Just stay the hell away from me during your “serene life”, because someone like me could really bugger that up for you.
I need a resolution that is simple, that I will not forget, that will make me, my family and friends happier people (if I have the resolve to keep it), and one that is measurable, and easily transferable to the next year if I fail to obtain it. I have one: “ Make a Million Rand”. If I achieve it, I will no doubt distribute some of this new wealth to the less fortunate amongst us, my family will be happy, my creditors will be very happy (and believe that there is a God), I will be a lot less stressed and life would be a lot more bearable. I can also then make my next resolution: “Make another Million” and so on, for the rest of my life.
Alternatively, if I don’t make it, I can always use it for the next year, or if I am truly resolved, I can rob a bank. Then I can continue to see new places – like the inside of a Prison.
Andrew Glasow
It is January. Again it is time to make my resolutions for the New Year. I have done this every year for the past 15 years. The problem is I can’t remember one of the bloody things I’ve promised to improve, change, stop doing, start doing, which I have actually done. No, that’s a lie. Ten years ago I resolved to visit one new destination every year for the rest of my life. I did London, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Perth, Brazzaville, Israel, a small town in Germany, Amsterdam, Brisbane, Kinshasa, Mauritius and Rustenberg in the first nine. This year I managed none – unless you call the public toilet on Greenmarket Square a new destination – hey, I was desperate, not lonely.
So now that I realise that I have broken the one resolution I have managed to keep for any length of time, what about this years resolutions? If I am to believe the multitude of self-help gurus from the world of positive thinking, my resolutions must be clear, easily understood and measurable; if I believe the more esoteric of these gurus I must concentrate on larger, more spiritual issues, such as world peace and loving my fellow earth beings. If I mix the two I end up with something like:
“This year I resolve to channel 17,25% of my positive energy into attaining world peace in 76 of the worlds nations while spending 2 hours each day meditating on the 35 minutes of negative energy I distribute to my co-workers each day, thereby making the work place 7,25% more bearable for 12% of the company” – It would never work- my maths is crap.
I could go for the “soft issues approach” and adopt a daily resolution that I carve into my bedside table and read every morning, hoping that it improves my life in general. This one, penned by John Vincent, was suggested to me:
“ I will this day try to live a simple, sincere, and serene life; repelling every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and self seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising the economy in expenditure, carefulness and conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike trust in God”
I would, of course, also need to keep a bucket close at hand for the involuntary retching that will accompany me saying these words. If you want it, use it. Just stay the hell away from me during your “serene life”, because someone like me could really bugger that up for you.
I need a resolution that is simple, that I will not forget, that will make me, my family and friends happier people (if I have the resolve to keep it), and one that is measurable, and easily transferable to the next year if I fail to obtain it. I have one: “ Make a Million Rand”. If I achieve it, I will no doubt distribute some of this new wealth to the less fortunate amongst us, my family will be happy, my creditors will be very happy (and believe that there is a God), I will be a lot less stressed and life would be a lot more bearable. I can also then make my next resolution: “Make another Million” and so on, for the rest of my life.
Alternatively, if I don’t make it, I can always use it for the next year, or if I am truly resolved, I can rob a bank. Then I can continue to see new places – like the inside of a Prison.
